Sunday, September 15, 2013

The Great Commission

Matthew 28:19-20 are probably some of the best-known verses
in all of the Bible.

Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in
the name of the Father,

and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost:

Teaching them to
observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you:

and, lo, I am with you
alway, even unto the end of the world. Amen.

And, many times, we don’t stop
to think about the context, what these verses really mean. There’s some rich
stuff here!

Who said these verses?We know it was Jesus. (16)

To whom? The eleven
disciples. Why eleven? Judas had hanged himself, and there wasn’t a replacement
as yet. (18)

Where? On a mountain
in Galilee. (16)

Go ye therefore. (19) What’s the therefore
there for? What goes before it? Immediately before it is verse 18,And Jesus came and spake unto them, saying, All
power is given unto me in heaven and in earth. Jesus is speaking to His disciples and tells them first
that He has been given all power. The
word for power means authority. So Jesus has been given all authority from whom? The obvious
answer is God the Father. Why is this so important? It is the whole backdrop
for the Great Commission. Because God gave Jesus all authority, Go ye therefore. This is a reminder
about whose work we’re doing, who we rely on, who we answer to. He is Jesus,
God in flesh, resurrected.

and teach all
nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the
Holy Ghost(19). This part of
the verse is talking about teaching the gospel of Jesus Christ—his death,
burial and resurrection—because people are very obviously believing and getting
baptized. In the early church, there were no unbaptized believers. They
believed and then were immediately baptized. Also, we see something important here.
Who’s supposed to be taught the gospel? All
nations. This is the cause for missions. Reach the world—all the
world—every country, tongue, and people. The gospel is for everyone,
everywhere.

Teaching them to observe all things
whatsoever I have commanded you(20).
This is what is commonly called discipleship. It is teaching God’s Word—all of
it, Old and New Testaments—to new Christians. Jesus says to teach people to
observe everything He had commanded His disciples. Well, we don’t exactly have
a record of everything that He said to them on hillsides, along the road, and
in upper rooms. But, we do have the assurance that His Word—all of the Bible—is
what He wants us to know. The Bible says Jesus is the Word. In the beginning
was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. The same was in
the beginning with God. All things were made by him; and without him was not
any thing made that was made. In him was life; and the life was the light of
men (John 1:1-4). All of the Bible is inspired. All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for
doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness (2
Timothy 3:16). So, when we teach the Word, it needs to be all of the Bible.

and, lo, I am with
you alway, even unto the end of the world(20). The Great Commission begins with the authority of
Christ and ends with the promise of His presence. He is with us always,
forever. The phrase unto the end of the
world means forever. It’s
ongoing. What a blessing! Jesus Himself promises to be with us forever!

Amen.= So be it.

Practically speaking, the Great Commission commands us to:

Go under Jesus’ authority.

Go to all nations—everyone on
the earth.

Teach them the gospel and
baptize new believers.

Disciple believers. Teach the
Bible.

Be conscious that Jesus is with
us always.

This is the outline for missions, and it’s the outline for our life purpose as believers.

If you are not a Christian, you
need to know the gospel: that Jesus died on the cross as a substitute for
you—for your sins. That he died, was buried, and rose again three days later.

If you are a new Christian, you
need to get Bible teaching. Get grounded in the Word.

If you are a more mature
Christian, you need to be discipling others.

And, there’s always the need
for missions. Go into all the world.
All the world. Reach the unreached.

Hi and welcome to In the Way! I explore many subjects, striving always to present them from a biblical viewpoint. Feel free to browse the tabs at the top for general categories. If you don't see what you're looking for, use the search button below. I'm a pastor's wife, mother of two, grandma, teacher, author, and blogger. I live in a quaint little village in the beautiful Basque region of northern Spain.

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Lou Ann is a young-thinking grandma with an infectious laugh. She rejoices in nature and other beautiful things--including people! She's an avid writer and practices several other artistic expressions, like singing when no one's listening, calligraphy, photography, and even "serious art." Lou Ann loves her Lord Jesus Christ, family, and her church.